


Avalanche

by SuperTempsRUs (JaskiersWolf)



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Friendship, Holidays, Mutual Pining, Post-Episode: s04e06 The Doctor's Daughter, Pre-Episode: s04e07 The Unicorn and the Wasp, Pre-Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Skiing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 17:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22499557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaskiersWolf/pseuds/SuperTempsRUs
Summary: The Doctor decided it was time to give Donna a break from all the running so he got the Tardis to book them into a lovely little hotel in the Alps for a week's skiing. It wasn't the beach holiday that Donna kept asking for but beaches were just so boring! No, his idea was much better!If only Donna agreed.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Donna Noble
Comments: 14
Kudos: 54





	Avalanche

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not gonna lie this is completely self-indulgent and based on my own holiday to Austria... but there we go. It ended up being way longer than expected but there we go! Also... there are no actual Avalanches in this fic... unless you count the emotional ones :P I couldn't think of a title!

Donna, in all her days on the Tardis, had never once woken up naturally. No matter how tired she was or how dangerous their adventures had been, the one thing she could guarantee, apart from running for her life on a near daily basis, was that she would be woken up far too early. Sometimes it was the Tardis alarm bells ringing in her ears, signifying a distress signal coming from a nearby ship, although why that had to ring in her bedroom and not the daft Martian she’d willingly decided to travel with’s room she had no idea. Other times it was the Tardis suddenly rolling in the vortex and sending her flying out of her bed because of some kind of temporal anomaly that the old ship was trying to avoid. This morning, however, she opened her eyes to find a pair of bright excitable brown eyes staring back at her.

“Doctor!” She yelled at the alien who was sitting crosslegged at the end of her bed.

He didn’t flinch at her shout, instead he just grinned a wide toothy smile and jumped up so he was squatting on the mattress. “Brilliant! You’re awake!” He cried happily. 

Donna pulled herself up so she sitting upright and glared fiercely at her friend. “We’ve been through this, Spaceman.” 

He put his hands up in defence. “I know, I know! But I was bored! I’ve been awake for hours! I swear all you humans want to do is sleep, but seeing as you’re awake now you might as well get dressed. I have a surprise for you! Wear something warm, it’s bit nippy where we’re going.” 

And with that he leapt off her bed and out of her room, narrowly avoiding the pillow she’d thrown at his head. The door slammed shut and Donna flopped back down onto her mattress and pulled the duvet over her head with a groan. She scrambled to find her phone which was caught up in her pillows and groaned again when she saw the time. She’d barely had six hours sleep.

“One lie in,” she muttered to herself “that’s all I want. Just one lie in.” 

The door flew open once more and the Doctor popped his head round the doorframe, still beaming at her, clearly not realising she needed at least one cup of coffee before dealing with this level of excitement. “And when I say a bit nippy, I mean freezing. You might want to check the Tardis wardrobe for some thermals and some ski wear.” 

And then he was gone again before Donna could even reach for a pillow. “Ski wear?” She frowned. Where on Tardis was he taking her now? Though she supposed after their last couple of adventures on burning hot planets, she guessed the cold would be a welcome change. She pulled on her fluffiest dressing gown and slippers and made her way to the kitchen.

The Doctor was already there in a Tardis blue onesie that was clearly meant for extremely cold climates. She raised an eyebrow at him. He was wearing daft blue earmuffs that were making his hair spike up all over the place. It must be bad of even the Doctor had changed from his usual pinstripes and brown overcoat. Although she supposed his new outfit wasn’t too dissimilar to his usual blue suit, just a bit more heavy duty. 

He looked up from his plate of toast when he noticed she’d entered the room. His eyes drifted over her body and then he frowned. She was about to yell at him for it but he spoke before she could even take a breath. “Ski wear, Donna. Not that you don’t look lovely but I would really prefer it if you don’t get frostbite.” 

“Do I need to wear a sports bra or is it just cold?” She asked as she swiped the mug of coffee from next to the Doctor, it’s not like he needed anymore caffeine anyway.

His brow furrowed as he contemplated her question. “Why would you need a sports bra? Why do they even make special bras for sports?”

Donna rolled her eyes, as much as he liked to protest it, he really was just another bloke. “Because, Sunshine, if we’re going to be exercising I don’t want to be knocked out by my own boobs!” 

The Doctor didn’t look any less confused. “I’m pretty sure that’s not actually possible Donna, even if you do have large breasts, which of course I wouldn’t know because I absolutely have never looked because we’re mates, friends.” He was blushing furiously by the time he managed to stop his mouth from running off on one.

Donna didn’t even feel the urge to slap him, she was so amused by his embarrassment. She just rolled her eyes and ruffled his hair around the ridiculous earmuffs, knocking them a bit wonky. “Oh, who I am kidding? It’s you. Of course we’ll be exercising. There’s always running with you. I’ll just ask the Tardis to help me pick something out, seeing as you want it all to be a surprise.”

The Doctor nodded, still red faced. “Good idea. Meet you in the console room in ten?” 

Donna smiled and sipped her stolen coffee. “I’ll meet you when I’m ready.” She amended, there was no way she could get ready in ten minutes. Not even on a good day.

She patted his arm fondly and went off to get changed for whatever adventure her spaceman had in store for her.

* * *

The Doctor wasn’t in the console room by the time Donna had wrestled her way into a pair of tartan ski trousers and a ridiculously puffy silver jacket with a fluffy hood. She waddled into the console room feeling more than a little bit ridiculous, she imagined she probably looked like a giant ginger marshmallow, maybe not too dissimilar too an adult Adipose. The socks the Tardis has provided were strange too, not her usual kind of fluffy socks that she wore with her boots in cold places. These ones were tight fitting and came half way up her shins. She had a bad feeling about this. Looking around the empty console room she figured her friend must be waiting for her outside. The Tardis confirmed her suspicions with a hum and so she pulled open the door to see what new planet awaited her.

The Doctor was right about one thing, it was bloody freezing. Even with all the extra layers and the thick coat. She shielded her eyes as bright sunlight sparkled and bounced off the snowy mountains. The sky was a beautiful dark blue in the sunlight and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. She saw the Doctor a few feet away from the Tardis busy rolling a giant ball of snow around. His earmuffs were still wonky and he was now wearing thick gloves along with his blue all in one. He had a pair of sunglasses perched on top of his nose that looked suspiciously like his brainy specs. He’d probably soniced them or something clever and Martian. 

“Oi!” She called over to him crossing her arms in front of her.

“Donna!” He beamed. “Didn’t know how long you’d be so I thought I’d make a snow Doctor!” He gestured to the lump of snow with a wave of his hand. 

“Looks just like you.” She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Although not nearly skinny enough. You’re like a stick insect, that’s more... dumpling.”

The Doctor frowned. “It’s a work in progress. You know I once had an ice sculpting lesson with Auguste Escoffier. Brilliant Chef. Revolutionised French cuisine and his peach melba is out of this world, well, not quite but it is honestly brilliant. I suggested that he tried it with banana instead but he wouldn’t listen, probably for the best. I’ll take you to meet him one day, he owes me a favour. There was a bit of trouble at the Savoy, the head chef was possessed by an alien that was trying to poison all their guests. Poor Auguste and his mates lost their jobs but we got rid of the alien!”

Donna raised an eyebrow as the Doctor got caught up in his tale. His respiratory bypass must have kicked in because he didn’t even pause to take a breath. He trailed off when he realised that he was getting no response from his friend. 

“You done?” Donna asked with an amused smirk.

“You know you could learn something if you just listen.” He pouted but smiled and winked at her so she knew it was all in jest “but really, Dinner at the Ritz in Paris after this?” He asked and held out his arm.

Donna linked her arm with his happily “Oh go on then. You’re paying though, unless this favour is just another excuse to get a cheap date out of me.”

The Doctor laughed. “Donna Noble, how dare you suggest I would do such a thing!” He teased and she rolled her eyes. 

“I never got my curry in India.” She reminded him. “What’s this big surprise anyway? We’re not meeting the abominable snowman are we?” 

The Doctor shook his head. “Not today.”

“What?! I was joking! It doesn’t actually exist does it?” She gaped at him.

“Not here. The only non human here is me!” He announced brightly. “I’m taking you skiing!” He gestured to a small ski hire shop that they had stopped front of.

Donna’s heart sank. 

“You what?!”

* * *

The Doctor had to pull his friend into the hire shop by the hand. At one point he thought that he would have to throw her over his shoulder. Apparently Donna wasn’t quite as excited about learning to ski as he would have hoped but that didn’t put him off. He knew that her mother was always nagging Donna about where they’d been on their travels and this was the perfect opportunity to have some fun and adventure without leaving the planet. He’d even landed in roughly the right era. Judging by the ski coats of the other tourists he’d probably landed about a decade later than he meant to but Sylvia probably wouldn’t notice that. The mountains had a habit of getting lost in time. 

The hotels and the chalets that were scattered over the lower half of the mountains were all designed to imitate old traditional Austrian architecture. The Tardis had booked them a couple of rooms in one of the fancier hotels for the week. Donna was always saying she wanted to relax and he figured this way they’d both have fun. He couldn’t wait to get back on the slopes, the wind hitting his face and the snow flurrying around him. Whereas Donna would enjoy the spa and pool area, this particular hotel had a panoramic whirlpool that looked out onto the main slope so you could watch the skiers and snowboarders coming down. 

Oh and the food was just sublime. He was sure Donna would be impressed. Maybe if she didn’t enjoy the skiing then they could just go for a stroll up in the mountains and enjoy the view. Earth really could be a stunning planet, if only the humans could look after it.

“No, absolutely not!” Donna barked at him as he pulled her down the stairs. “I tried ice skating once and my arm was in a cast for months. This is a terrible idea, Spaceman. What’s wrong with a beach holiday or even a nice city break?”

“Oh come on Donna Noble! You faced down Sontarans with a hammer and won! You can do a bit of skiing. Look!” He pointed to where a small human, probably only about four years old, was getting their own boots fitted. “Even the children are willing to give it a go. Go on!” He gave her his best puppy eyes and jutted out his bottom lip. 

Donna whacked him on the arm with her gloves but smiled all the same. “Oh go on then. I can’t be vested by a five year old now can I? But if I end up like Humpty Dumpty then you’re telling my mum.” 

The Doctor thought you himself that he would much rather take Donna to see the Sisters of Plenitude to get fixed up than tell Sylvia Noble that he’d broken her only daughter, and quite frankly he’d probably prefer to face a Cyberman Invasion too, but he thought it would best not to mention that to Donna. Not whilst she was already in a bad mood. Her slaps didn’t half sting. 

Donna grumbled whilst the shop staffs busied themselves measuring her skis up to her nose and taking her foot measurements. The Doctor tried his best not to laugh as she struggled to get her boots on but he couldn’t help but smile at her. She was getting more and more frustrated with the poor bloke that was trying to help her out. She was lucky that he’d missed a decade, boots were even worse in 2008. They still weren’t comfortable but it was definitely better. He got his own boots and skis with very little fuss and stood to the side as Donna finished up. She did not look very impressed. Still the Doctor picked up their lift passes and they were off towards the slopes.

* * *

It was still early in the day and the snow was glittering beautifully in the sunshine. Donna had to admit, despite her nerves, that it was incredibly beautiful. Not quite the beach resort she would have liked but she appreciated the effort. She knew the Doctor would likely drive her mad if they were stuck lounging around a pool. She had eventually managed to force her feet into a pair of ski boots and was currently balancing on the Doctor’s arm whilst she attempted to clip the boots into the skis. 

The Doctor had made it look so easy. 

She swore under her breath as her left ski slipped again and went flying off from underneath her. The Doctor laughed and skated off to pick it up before pushing himself back over to her. This was completely ridiculous. They weren’t even on a slope yet and she could barely stand up. Not to mention how uncomfortable all the clothes were. She had tried to get a snowboard instead, those boots looked far more comfortable than the plastic prisons her feet were encased in but the Doctor had just stared at her with his big brown eyes and she’d given in and allowed the ski people to get her skis instead. 

“I can’t do this, Doctor!” She moaned. 

“Yes you can!” He insisted. “You’re brilliant. Come on, just lean on me. That’s it!” 

He helped to steady her as her left boot finally clicked in place. She’d done it! She was wearing skis. Cautiously he let go of her arm to see if she could stand up on her own. Her legs shook but she stayed upright. She grinned up at the Doctor. 

“Get in!” She laughed. 

“Now you just have to move.” He teased and she tried to hit him on the arm. Unfortunately the movement left her completely unbalanced and her skis slipped from underneath her. Fortunately, the Doctor saw the whole thing coming and managed to catch her in his arms before she landed on her arse. “Maybe one step at a time?”

He taught her how to fall first which seemed ridiculous but she soon realised it was a good thing as she end up on her backside for the hundredth time in an hour. She struggled to swing her skis round so they were facing the same way and then pushed herself upright. She didn’t even need his help anymore. She was getting good at falling over. That was something at least. 

Her legs were burning though. Even just going in a straight line was hard work as she dug her skis in to the snow. She would have thought all the running would have meant she’d ben fighting fit for the ski malarkey. The more advanced skiers that were coming down the main slope were gliding effortlessly, almost like a dance. She had hoped she would look more like that after her first day but like everything else in life, she wasn’t perfect at it right away. 

The only thing she’d been good at without much practice was being with the Doctor. Temping had taken her years to get the hang of, although now she was one of the best in Chiswick. She was still useless with technology unless it was a spreadsheet and she’d been using computers for years. She could learn new software pretty quickly but she had no idea what to do when the screen went blank. She’d tried to learn knitting from Nana Eileen once but had given up after three rows and many many slipped stitches. She still remembered her disastrous piano lessons from when she was a kid. If Donna wasn’t good at something right away then she gave up. 

And then she met the Doctor. 

They’d had a shaky start but it had been a stressful day for everyone involved with her failed wedding and him just losing his friend, but by the end of the day he’d been one of the best friends she’d ever had. He just saw something in her that no one else had and he didn’t give up on that spark, that hope that she could be something brilliant, and when she was with him she felt brilliant. Even if he was daft and she was once again staring up at him covered in snow. 

“Why did I let you talk me into this again?” She grumbled as he laughed at her. She threw a handful of snow at him and he yelped as it hit him firmly in the face. 

“Donna!!” He choked through mouthfuls of snow. “What was that for?!”

“Stop laughing at me, Spaceman!” She glared up at him before pushing herself up on to her feet again. 

“You just need to slow down. Remember, pizza!” He held her hand and skied backwards as they slowly made their way down the gentle slope. 

Donna’s skis scraped across the hard snow but didn’t cross over. She was definitely improving. She smiled up at him as they reached the bottom. “I did it!” She cheered. 

He grinned back at her. “Of course you did. What do you say we stop for lunch eh?”

Donna’s stomach rumbled in response and being a Time Lord, the Doctor heard it and chuckled. She swatted him on the arm and pretended to glare at him. “Chips!” Donna announced. “And you’re paying, Alien Boy!”

* * *

They’d decided to check in at the hotel and just have their lunch there. It was easier than trying to head up the mountain in one of the bubble lifts. Donna still wasn’t entirely confident in her boots yet and the lifts were quite daunting at first. Plus she looked exhausted and he doubted that either of them wanted to go back out after lunch. He had helped carry her skis back up to the hotel, using his ‘Martian strength’ according to Donna. She carried his poles instead. It wasn’t a fair exchange but he knew better than to argue. They stumbled into the hotel foyer with their skis in hand. The Doctor rested their skis against the wall of the hotel’s reception and then went to go check in.

He waved his psychic paper to the receptionist, Megan according to her name tag and who was dressed in traditional Austrian clothes. “Doctor Smith, Donna Noble. We just arrived. Should be two single rooms?” He said with a disarming smile. 

Megan scowled as they looked at their computer. “I’m sorry Doctor Smith, it appears that there’s been a mistake in the booking. We only have one room booked out under the name Smith.” 

The Doctor glanced back at Donna who was clacking their poles together impatiently. “Umm, there wouldn’t happen to be an extra room available would there?” He thought about using the psychic paper to pretend they were hotel inspectors but he didn’t think that would be very fair to the hotel staff. It’s not like the world would end if they only had the one room. 

Megan shook her head. “I’m afraid not but you are in one of the superior suites so there should be plenty of room for both of you.” They looked over the Doctor’s shoulder towards Donna. “Did you have any luggage to take up to the room?” 

“Umm, yeah. Sure. It’s still in the er... car. We’ll bring it in once we’ve put our skis away!” The Doctor said brightly, slightly distracted as he tried to think about how he would explain this to Donna. Best mates shared hotel rooms all the time right? It was cheaper that way! 

The Doctor took the keycards from Megan and made his way back to Donna. They were on the second floor of the hotel. That wasn’t too bad. They could use the stairs if need be. He hated using lifts, too much waiting around!

“Oi! Martian Boy! What’s taking so long?” Donna called as he approached her. 

He waved her concerns off, the room issue was future him’s problem. “Just a mix up. Nothing to worry about! Let’s get the skis away shall we?” 

“And then chips.” Donna insisted. “Not pizza.” She added with a laugh. 

The Doctor grinned sheepishly and picked up both pairs. The boot room was wet from all the melted snow and he almost slipped on the hard floor. Donna laughed at him as he struggled to regain his footing until he grabbed hold of her arm to steady himself. She shrieked and grabbed hold of the wall to stop the both from falling. 

They shared a look and burst into hysterics. It was ridiculous. They had faced down so many different foes, some human, some alien, and yet they couldn’t even seem to stay standing on a wet floor. Donna was right, it was going to be an interesting week on the slope. 

“You’re hopeless you are. Ooh are we getting a ski instructor tomorrow?” She asked with a gleam in her eyes. “I’ve always thought they had nice bums. Gramps always had Ski Sunday on when I was little.” 

He rolled his eyes. “You know I’m a qualified instructor Donna?” 

“No.” Donna gaped at him. “No. You’re making that up. I swear you can’t do half the stuff you say you can.” 

“Blimey, you take a girl half way around the universe and she still doesn’t trust you.” He muttered and nudged her arm playfully. 

“You better believe it Spaceman.” She grinned. 

After lunch they gathered their belongings from the The Tardis and headed up to their room. They’d decided on spending the afternoon exploring the pool and spa facilities of the hotel. The Doctor had almost forgotten about their room predicament and was happily chatting about the time he had to take his instructors exam in the 70s in order to convince a cult of brainwashed skiers to let him go. It had taken a few tries but he’d succeeded and managed to break the telepathic waves that had been controlling the group into worshiping an alien ice king. He’d learnt the new skill and then gone on his way.

“Doctor?” Donna stopped abruptly in front of him and he almost crashed straight into her. 

“Donna?” He replied cautiously as he peered over her shoulder at the large room and singular bed. 

“There’s only one bed.” Donna stated and turned round to look up at him.

“Yes. I can see that.” He nodded. “Oh well. We’ll manage!” He brushed it off, just like he’d done with Martha in Elizabethan England and dashed into the bathroom to change into his swimming gear, grabbing one of the complimentary spa robes on his way.

“Oi!” Donna shouted. “Alien Boy! Fix it!” 

“Can’t do that Donna! I already asked. We’ll be fine.” He shouted back through the door as he struggled out of his coat. If he’d been in his usual suit it would have taken him barely a minute but his blue ski suit had all this extra zips and buttons. It was a nightmare but soon enough he was ready in the fluffy white dressing gown and swimming trunks. “You decent?” He called out to his friend. 

“Give me two seconds!” Donna barked through the door, and he had to concentrate very hard on the tiles of the bathroom floor to stop himself from picturing her changing into her costume or bikini if he was lucky. “Ok done. Don’t laugh alright!”

He clicked open the door and poked his head out with a grin. “I wouldn’t dare.” 

“I mean it, Spaceman” Donna warned. 

“Donna, you look lovely. You always do. There’s nothing to laugh at. I promise.” He said sincerely. Somedays he really wished he could go back in time and stopped Sylvia Noble from draining every ounce of self-confidence from her daughter, but of course, he couldn’t. Personal timelines were off-limits and one wrong move could stop Donna Noble from being the brilliant young woman he knew and loved. 

“Oh pull the other one.” Donna mumbled but her cheeks were dusted by a pale pink blush and he knew that she was happy, if not a little embarrassed by his compliment.

The Doctor pocketed their keycard in his robe with his swimming goggles and they headed back towards the lift, this time without suitcases in hand. He smiled softly at his friend when she had her back to him. He really hoped that for the first time nothing would derail this trip. He wanted her to have fun and he knew that all the running and adventure was taking its toll on her. If he wasn’t careful she would reach breaking point, everyone always did. He wanted her to stay, he had to do his best to make sure she stayed. 

* * *

Donna sighed happily as she stared out at the slope. The air was fresh and cold on her face but the hot tub was bubbling and hot. It was working wonders on her muscles. Over the last few months with the Doctor she had gained a lot of muscle, particularly in her legs, from all the running and whilst the Tardis provided her with an excellent bathroom to rest at the end of their adventures, it felt like she was constantly sore. Now she had a whole morning’s worth of skiing to try and loosen up as well. She didn’t want to admit it but she’d had fun. The Doctor had been a good teacher despite her teasing. He’d taken it slow and only really laughed as friends do once he was sure she hadn’t been hurt. She’d pulled him over a couple of times as well. 

He’d gone to get them both a drink from the bar upstairs whilst she relaxed. It was only the first day but she had a good feeling about this place. Apart from the whole room debacle it would be a good week. The mountain food was amazing, the views were incredible and the company was alright. 

“One Cosmopolitan, Ma’am.” The Doctor mock bowed and passed her her drink.

“Ah why thank you.” Donna winked and took the glass, noting that he didn’t seem to have one for himself. 

“How are your legs?” He asked as he took off his robe and slipped into the bubbling water. Unusually for him, he seemed to be keeping a safe distance from her. Normally he seemed to have no concept of personal boundaries. She decided it must be her choice of bikini that was putting him off. 

“Better, thanks.” She replied with a nod and sipped her drink. “God this is good. Don’t say you made this too.” She teased. 

“Nah. Not today. I let the barman do his job, although I might have fixed the coffee machine whilst his back was turned.” The Doctor grinned. 

“You just can’t resist can you?” Donna laughed. 

“Well… I’m just trying to help. Doctor by name, Doctor by nature.” He said with a wink. 

Donna rolled her eyes and sank deeper into the bubbling water. She hummed happily as she felt her muscles loosen. She hadn’t realised how tight her neck had gotten. She definitely needed to coax the Doctor into landing on more spa planets. There must be more planets dedicated to relaxation and leisure, like fancy planet sized versions of Centre Parks or a space cruise! 

“Shame your name isn’t the Masseur. My neck is killing me.” Donna quipped as she took a long slow sip of her drink. It was heavy on the vodka, just how she liked it. 

The Doctor tilted his head and shuffled closer to her in the hot tub. Donna tried not to let it show that this made her a little flustered. Everything suddenly seemed more intimate. She’d never seen him in anything less than his hundreds of layers of shirt, t-shirt, jacket tie, overcoat, and now he was in just swimming trunks and her usual layered outfits had been whittled down to a bikini. Not that she would expect him to wear a suit in a pool but there were those feelings that she’d been trying so desperately to hide and as much as she liked to insult him, he did have a very appealing body. Still if she blushed she could just blame the hot water, or the cold air on her face. 

“You know.” The Doctor almost purred in her ear causing her skin to tingle and her heart to race in her chest. She was definitely blushing now. She had no doubt about it. “I am a trained masseur.” 

Donna splashed water in his face and he jumped back putting some well needed distance between them. “You’re not. I know you’re like an old man and stuff but seriously? You can’t possibly have done everything you say you have.” Donna raised an eyebrow and she swallowed back the last of her drink. 

The Doctor grinned mischievously. “Oh Donna Noble. You are in for a treat! Now turn round and I’ll sort out your neck.”

Donna glared at him suspiciously. This whole trip was starting to pan out like a bad romcom or novel. Best friends, one bed, massages… but it couldn’t hurt really? Could it? The Doctor wasn’t into that romantic stuff and she could control her feelings, his friendship was worth that much. “Just my neck, maybe my shoulders. Nothing else. Keep your hands to yourself, Sunshine!” She warned him.

“Yes yes. Now come on, Donna. I haven’t got all day. Oh wait. I have!” He chuckled. 

She shuffled on the bench of the hot tub until she had her back to him. She instantly regretted her decision. The cocktail she’d finished too quickly had hit her sooner than expected, a mix of the hot tub and altitude. Her inhibitions were down and her head was happily swimming in booze and dear lord was he good with his fingers. She bit down hard on her lip to stop a moan from escaping. It was like magic as he worked away at the knots in her neck and shoulders. She tried very hard to focus on anything else but it wasn’t easy. 

She tried to remember what she’d learnt on the slopes. The best way to do her boots up. The feeling of the edges of her skis digging into the snow to slow her down. Falling over when the tips of her skis had crossed by accident. The Doctor catching her in his arms as she crashed forwards into him…

He was remarkably strong.

And not too bad on the eyes. 

And he did look rather adorable with snowy hair and earmuffs.

Not as good as he looked slipping under the water in his swimming trunks.

No!

Focus Donna!

They needed more groceries for the Tardis. The Old Girl could make some food but it never tasted as good as the real thing so Donna had insisted they went shopping. The Doctor agreed pretty quickly after she’d topped up the biscuit tin for the first time. He always ate the ginger snaps first. 

Maybe he really did like gingers.

Filing! That was a safe topic. She tried to recall the filing system at HC Clements. She’d basically revolutionised that office within the first week of being there. 

“Donna?” The Doctor’s soft yet ever concerned voice cut through her thoughts. “This only works if you relax. I can stop if you’d like?”

“No!” She snapped too quickly as she turned to face her friend. “I just. Umm. It’s been a while since I had a friend close enough to do things like this with.” She mumbled trying to cover up her mistake. 

The Doctor’s eyes softened and he smiled down at her. “Oh Donna Noble. Your friends are morons if they never saw how special you are.” He blushed awkwardly and turned to face the slopes, making no move to continue the neck massage. Donna tried not to feel too disappointed. Maybe they could revisit that one when they were both wearing more clothes… or less.

No. More. They were friends. No mating. That had all been firmly established. 

“Ooh look Donna!” The Doctor laughed and pointed at a ski school that was coming down the main slope in a long slope. “Like dominos!”

Donna joined in his laughter. The ski school was a children’s group. They couldn’t be more than five or six. One of the little tykes had crossed their skis and plopped down on the slope. One by one the remaining children barrelled into each other leaving a bit of a pile up in the middle of the slope. The ski instructor, an adult in a red all in one, was a further down the slope looking up at their class. Even from a distance Donna could tell they were exasperated. They turned to the two children that had managed to stop in front of the mess and then started to clamber back up the hill to sort out the pile up. 

“Oh god. Poor things.” Donna gasped between bouts of laughter. 

Every time the instructor managed to help of the tiny skiers to their feet another one would fall over. Donna had a sneaky suspicion they were doing it on purpose. 

“The children or the instructor?” The Doctor asked with a wink.

“Bet I look like a model pupil now.” Donna agreed. 

“Oh you were brilliant, Donna Noble. You’ll be racing down the slopes by the end of the week.” The Doctor grinned a wide toothy smile. Donna just rolled her eyes and dunked his head under the water, laughing happily as she heard his shouts from under the water. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a friend like him, probably never. She’d never even realised how much she needed it. 

He was daft but he was hers.

* * *

Donna’s legs were sore and she’d pulled muscles she didn’t even know she had. Why her legs were hurting more going downstairs than up, she had no idea but she did actually feel pretty good apart from that. The mountain air probably had something to do with it. Dinner had been fantastic, a lovely five course meal with lots of smaller plates instead of the gigantic portions you got back home. She’d teased the Doctor throughout, to the extent that some people might have called flirting but they didn’t do that sort of thing, and of course he’d given as good as got. He wolfed down his food like he’d been starved and he’d even had the extra cheese course at the end. She’d never seen anyone eat quite so much cheese. Maybe she should ask the hotel to slip some pears into his dessert to see if he would notice. He ate so quickly she couldn’t imagine that he would notice but he was always going on about how they like food of the devil or something. 

Yes. She would definitely do that. 

She chuckled to herself as she finished wiping off her make up in the mirror. She’d delayed her evening bathroom routine as long as she could. Her teeth had probably never been cleaner and her hair was completely free of any tangles. She sighed and rested her arms on the counter. It was time to face her stupid Martian in the bedroom. Friends shared beds all the time. This would be fine. 

Except what if it wasn’t?

What if this changed their relationship? 

What if he got weird about it?

What if she got weird about it?

What if he didn’t want to travel with her anymore after this? 

“Oh for god’s sake.” She muttered under her breath and turned to open the door. “Oi! Spaceman!” She called through the door. “I’m coming out. You’d better be decent!” 

“Finally.” Came the sarcastic reply. “I thought you’d been eaten by a spider in the sink or something.” He teased. “I was just about to go in there and defend your honour.”

“The Empress of the Racnoss couldn’t eat me, what makes you think a tiny sink spider could?” Donna raised an eyebrow as she stepped into the room, immensely glad that they’d both chosen proper pyjamas. 

“Well it could have been a giant one from outer space.” The Doctor shrugged. 

“You mean to tell me there are multiple giant spider alien species.” Donna’s eyes widened and she suppressed a shudder. Well wasn’t that just great. 

“Well… none quite like the Racnoss. Most of them are pretty primitive. None of them are even near a level five planet rating like Earth. Most of them wouldn’t even be translated properly by the Tardis. Although…” He scratched the back of his neck and tilted his head. “there are the Arachnites. They look a lot like your Earth spiders. Ooh like Aragog!”

“From Harry Potter?” Donna frowned as she remembered the giant spider. She hadn’t been able to watch the films since her experience with the Racnoss, it just gave her nightmares and she was almost instantly back in the spiders web. 

“Exactly! Arachnites are like Aragog! It’s interesting though! Their skeletons have one of the lightest skeletal density out of all the species in the universe. It’s what allows them to grow to such a great size. You see normal house spiders…”

Donna slapped him and shot him a fierce look. She didn’t have to slap him very often these days. He seemed to have mellowed a lot in her company and Martha Jones had done him the world of good, and if she was being honest she wasn’t nearly as brash as she had been when she first met him, but he was going on and on about giant spiders and she was struggling to breath. She could feel that she was on the edge of a panic attack. 

“What did I do?” He snapped as he rubbed his cheek and then paled as he took in her appearance. “Right. Sorry. I didn’t think.”

Donna was about to snap back a witty response when his arms wrapped tightly around her. The insult slipped away and he hugged him back tightly until she felt her breathing return to normal and the memories of the Racnoss returned to just that, memories. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The Doctor murmured in her ear. “I’m thick. I really am.”

“Great big outer space dunce.” Donna laughed weakly. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.” She gestured to the bed and then blushed. “I mean sleeping together, sharing! Sharing a bed. NOT sleeping together. Oh you know what I mean!” She snapped and wiggled out of his arms. 

She practically dove under the covers, making sure she shifted to one side of the bed, far far away from the centre. If she’d been any closer to the edge of the bed then she probably would have fallen down. She felt the Doctor slide in next to her and she thanked the lord that the hotel had provided separate duvets. Apparently that was some European thing. 

“I don’t bite, Donna.” The Doctor said quietly into the silence of the room.

He sounded strangely vulnerable, almost hurt by her distance and she rolled over to face him. He’d turned the lights out but she could still see his face in the darkness. He was lying on his side facing her. Their faces were suddenly just inches apart and she could see all the freckles that painted his skin. She swallowed and tried to shift back a little without him noticing. 

“No.” She replied, trying to keep her voice lighthearted and teasing. “You just lick everything instead.”

“I don’t lick you!” He protested with a blush.

Donna felt her own face heat up at the implications. 

“Oh you’d better not, Sunshine!” She snapped, hoping she came across as rightfully offended rather than embarrassed and more than a little bit intrigued. 

“Oh just come here.” He rolled his eyes and pulled her close to him so she was practically using his chest as a Time Lord shaped pillow.

“Oi!” She protested, in case he got any ideas that involved her and romantic feelings because neither of them wanted that right?

Right?

“I’m a cuddler.” He explained dryly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Might as well get it over with early.” 

“Fine!”

“Good.”

Why were his hearts racing so fast in his chest? Was that just a Time Lord thing? She figured it must be. There was no other reasonable explanation for it. 

“Night Spaceman.” She whispered as she felt her eyes getting heavy. The skiing had taken a lot out of her and she was more tired than she realised. Now she was lying down listening to the duel heartbeats in her Time Lord’s chest it was getting almost impossible to stay awake. 

“Goodnight Donna Noble.” She heard him reply as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The Doctor didn’t fall asleep for hours. 

He wanted to but he just couldn’t take his eyes off the sleeping human on his chest. Donna Noble was a lot more peaceful when she was asleep. Not that he didn’t adore the shouting and the fact she was not afraid to speak her mind, just… it was nice to see her at peace. She was something like a hurricane when she was awake, maybe that’s why got a long so well. She could keep up with him and the way his mind raced around the universe faster than the speed of light. 

He’d seen Donna asleep before. More than once. He often got to wake her up in the mornings to go onto new adventures but he never got tired of how beautiful she looked in her sleep. 

Not that she wasn’t beautiful all the time. 

Because she really was. 

Like a ginger goddess. 

He wished he was ginger but he probably wouldn’t pull it off as well as Donna Noble. He didn’t think anyone would pull it off as well as Donna Noble. The way the fires in Pompeii had bounced off her hair had been mesmerising. He’d almost forgotten to push down the lever to save the Earth but as always she had been there to keep in on the right path. Her hands had covered his and they’d pushed down together. For a moment he thought they would die together in that tiny escape pod but by some miracle they’d survived and she’d still wanted to travel with him. 

He stroked her hair gently. He didn’t get to admire her so openly when she was awake. Truth be told he wasn’t really sure if he was a cuddler. He had been in previous regenerations but this body had never had the opportunity to find out. He’d almost found out in Elizabethan England with Martha but the Carrionites had put a stop to that one before he’d fallen asleep. 

So maybe he’d lied a little bit about being a cuddler as an excuse to be near her but she hadn’t really protested too much and she seemed a lot more comfortable now then squeezed right to the edge of the bed, and he lied. It was just part of who he was. He lied, to protect those he loved, to protect his own hearts, to keep up the mask he’d so very carefully constructed. 

He sighed as he gazed at his sleeping friend. Maybe it was time to let the mask go. Donna saw through most of it most of the time anyway and he was so tired of hiding. He always had to hide.

“Oh Donna Noble what have you done to me…” He whispered into the darkness. He used to be so good at controlling his romantic emotions. He was beginning to think he didn’t have any, most Time Lords didn’t. Of course this regeneration had thrown all of that out of the window. First with Rose, then Reinette, Martha, Joan, Jack… the list was endless. 

That was the last time he’d regenerate after snogging a companion. It had nasty side effects like falling in love with humans left right and centre. 

But how could he not love Donna Noble?

He hadn’t adored a human friend quite this much since Sarah-Jane. She just balanced him, kept his feet on the ground whilst they ran together through the stars. 

His Donna. 

If he thought he’d loved the others then it was nothing compared to the raging inferno inside his chest that he felt every time he thought about his best friend. It was staggering, blinding and overwhelming. It burned brighter than the stars they travelled past and consumed him like the darkest of black holes. 

And he could never tell her. 

Donna mumbled in her sleep and rolled off his chest. He frowned at the sudden coldness and empty feeling before deciding that would not do at all. He rolled onto his side behind her and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. It tickled his nose but he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Maybe he was a cuddler after all.

* * *

After the awkward moment of waking up the first morning and scurrying into the bathroom before either of them could comment on the fact the Doctor had ended up like a koala around her waist, the rest of the week settled into a fairly normal routine. Not normal for them but normal for any other couple of friends on holiday. They skied in the morning and relaxed by the pool in the afternoon. There were no strange aliens, other than the Doctor of course, and no life or death situations. The cuddling at night had become strangely… normal. It no longer bothered Donna in the slightest. They still got changed when one of them was using the bathroom but she no longer felt shy about walking around the hotel in her underwear if she needed to grab something from the wardrobe that she’d forgotten. He’d seen her in her bikini after all and it was basically the same thing. 

Plus she did enjoy the way he didn’t seem to be able to take his eyes off of her, although she berated him nonetheless. She had to keep her guard up after all. 

She could even get on and off of chairlifts now without falling flat on her face. She was still snowploughing slowly down the slopes after the Doctor but he skied at her pace and let her follow his path down the mountain. She even felt confident getting a bit of speed up on the flat bits. 

She hated to admit it but she’d actually had a really fun week. They’d taken loads of photos out on the slopes to show her mum and gramps too. The Doctor with his daft earmuffs and poles waving out over his head, her falling over into a snowdrift with a cloud of snow all around her, The Doctor showing off in the snow park flying over a jump, and the following picture of him crash landed like a starfish with both skis off, the pair of them with whipped cream moustaches as they had a hot chocolate at the top of the mountain, pictures of all the amazing Tyrolean food. She particularly like the giant dumplings with poppy seeds and vanilla sauce and plum jam in the middle. 

She sighed happily as she stared out into the starry sky. They’d decided to take a walk through the town after dinner. A whole seven days and no unusual alien drama. It almost felt like tempting fate. There were fairy lights decorating the street lamps like it was still Christmas and it had started to snow. Donna was reminded of her first evening with the Doctor. The night she’d made the biggest mistake of her life and said no.

“Thank you Spaceman” She whispered quietly as she squeezed his arm. He looked down at her with that stupidly fond smile that made her feel all gooey inside. He’d decided to forego his ski wear for the walk and was back in his brown suit and trench coat, although he was still wearing his earmuffs. 

“Anytime, Donna.” He replied. “Well… maybe not anytime. You know me, I can’t walk five feet without trouble sniffing me out, quite literally sometimes. Did I ever tell you about the Family of Blood?”

Donna frowned as she tried to remember. He talked a lot about his old adventures, never about himself or the people he’d lost but always about the foes he’d faced and how he managed to get out of trouble. She couldn’t remember hearing about that one before. She shook her head. “Nah I don’t think you have. Funny, with all the talking you do, you think you’d run out of stories to tell.”

“Well that’s why I keep on going. There’s so many more stories out there, Donna, just waiting to be told.” His eyes twinkled in the starlight as he shot her a cheeky grin.

“Go on then Family of Blood. What’s that when it’s at home? Cos I’m picturing some really grotesque skinless alien… like something out of a horror movie!” Donna laughed excitably. 

He wrinkled his nose. “Oh no. Nothing like that. Horror movie yes, but not like that. More… body snatchers! Oh but you’ll like this…” He paused dramatically and she whacked him on the arm gently. 

“Oh go on you prawn. The suspense is killing me!” She laughed. 

“I had to become human!” He announced with horror in his voice.

“No!” She gasped, playing along with his story telling. 

“Yes!”

“Nooo. You’d hate that!” She teased. “I’m the Doctor and I’m a Time Lord. We have superior everything and two hearts.” She did a poor impression of him. 

“I don’t sound like that!” He protested. 

“You do!” She insisted.

“Oh shut up.” He pouted. “And two hearts is much better than one!” He sniffed indignantly.

“Oh yeah. Why’s that then?” She laughed gaily and prodded him in the chest. 

He thought for a moment. “Well… I can hold my breath for longer for a start.” 

“Bet the ladies love that.” Donna teased. 

He frowned. “Why?”

“Because… oh you know what? Nevermind.” Donna blushed and thanked the stars that it was dark outside.

The Doctor slipped on the ice before he could respond and pulled them both crashing down. Donna landed in his lap and he yelped as he hit the icy ground but he brightened up considerably when he saw Donna looking back at him in shock. She was about to scramble to her feet and put some very much needed distance between them when his arms wrapped around her waist, effectively trapping her on his lap. “Look I caught a ginger!” He laughed. 

“Oi! Hands Spaceman!” She protested as she tried to wriggle off of him. 

He rolled his eyes. “You know you woke up literally on top of me this morning, Donna.” 

“That’s different.” She scowled but stopped trying to move away. 

“How is this any different? If anything we’re wearing more clothes.” He reminded her gently. Too gently. The air was basically crackling between them and Donna thought, just for a moment that there could be something else there, that just maybe he might not be as romance blind as she thought he was. “Come on, Donna. You’re my best mate.”

And he kissed her on the cheek. 

Donna tried not to be disappointed. 

Best Mates.

Yeah. 

She’d really fucked herself over with that one. 

“Yeah.” She agreed wincing as she heard the disappointment in her voice. “But let me up, Alien Boy! It’s bloody freezing.” 

To her surprise he didn’t argue this time and he was able to spring to her feet. 

“Stop whining.” He teased fondly. “I’ll go get our bags and we can get back to the Tardis yeah?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Oh I can have my own bed back!” She cried happily, hiding the fact she knew how much she would miss having him there beside her. It was funny how quickly they’d grown used to each other’s company. 

“And not a moment too soon. You hog the duvet!” He accused but his eyes were sparkling and she knew he wasn’t really mad at her. 

“You had your own!” She laughed.

“Well yours was better.” He pouted and ran his hands through his hair. 

“Tart.” She teased. “Come on. Chop chop! Bags! We don’t have all day.”

He grinned and race off towards the hotel leaving Donna to amble back to where they’d parked the Tardis by herself. 

“Blimey.” She muttered to herself as she leant against the old wooden box. She felt the Tardis tickle a greeting in the back of her mind. “What a week, eh Old Girl?” She patted the door affectionately. “I guess he really is the love of my life.”

She paused. 

“But don’t you dare go telling him that! I’ll… oh I don’t know. I’ll take out the fluid link or something! He mentioned it once and I’m sure it’s important.” 

The Tardis growled in her mind. 

“Oh no I won’t. Sorry Sweetheart. Look I’m not the one that hits you with a mallet remember?” 

She got a happier hum in response. 

“I just really need to stay with him. He’s my best friend and I can’t lose him. I just lost my Nan and my Dad. I can’t lose my best friend as well. So you won’t tell him will you? Just between us girls?” 

The Tardis reluctantly agreed and Donna smiled. 

“Thanks Sweetheart.” She finally pulled her key from her coat pocket and let herself in. 

The Tardis hummed happily and Donna could just tell the ship was asking her to talk the Doctor about their, wait no, _her_ feelings. He didn’t have feelings. The Tardis hummed more insistently. 

“Stop it!” She grumbled. “I’m going to my room. Tell him I want at least eight hours sleep before he wakes me up to save civilisations.” 

The Tardis huffed but Donna ignored her and stalked to her room which definitely seemed to take much longer than usual. Why couldn’t the Doctor have a ship that behaved and stop changing the layout of the place when it got moody? 

Eventually she was allowed to hide away in her room from the Tardis’s insistent grumbling, and the Doctor’s stupid handsome face. Her bed felt cold and empty without him but even still she eventually managed to fall into a restless sleep. 

* * *

When the Doctor returned to the Tardis, Donna was nowhere to be seen. The Old Girl told him that his friend was in her room trying to get to sleep. He sighed. Maybe he’d made a mistake in holding her in his lap a little longer but he just hadn’t been ready to let her go and he’d thought they’d grown closer over the week. He’d thought maybe their friendship had been developing into something more but clearly he’d misread the signs. He wasn’t very good at the human stuff and falling in love was a very human thing. 

So he’d laughed it off, reminding Donna they were friends because he didn’t want her to think he was just some kind of pervert. She’d told him that she didn’t want any funny business, no mating, strictly friends and he’d agreed happily. He had honestly just wanted a friend, to get away from all the romantic nonsense that had been plaguing his hearts since he’d been born into this body. 

He’d laughed it off and imagined that she’d been disappointed, because she can’t have actually been disappointed. That bit was all in his head. Still he hadn’t quite been able to resist kissing her cheek. In his head he imagined that he had kissed her passionately on the lips but that would never happen, not with his Donna, even in his own imagination she’d slapped him on the arm after he kissed her. 

He sighed. 

He couldn’t even catch a break in his fantasies. He desperately wanted to go find his friend. He liked having her in his arms when he slept. He hadn’t slept so well in years, centuries even. 

The Tardis pushed a thought into his mind, telling him to tell Donna how he felt. He laughed incredulously. “I don’t have a death wish.” He scowled at the ceiling. “And don’t you go telling her either. She’s my best friend. I don’t need more than that.”

The Tardis whined. 

“No. I’m the pilot. I make the rules.” He insisted but the Tardis lights flashed brightly and the lever on the other side of the console pushed down on its own. “No no no!” He yelled and dived across the console to try and stop the Tardis but it was no good. Numbers were flashing on the screen and he could feel them tearing through time. “Come on!” He snapped as he whacked the console with a hammer and desperately tried to regain control but the ship sparked and he was flung backwards. 

“Behave!” He growled as he pulled himself up watching helplessly as the years flew backwards. This was ridiculous. Why did he have to go and steal a Type 40? Bloody minded things. 

The Tardis landed with a jolt and he swung the screen round to look at it. 

1920s England.

“What are you playing at, Old Girl?” He hissed and the central column glowed brighter. “Suppose I’d better get Donna then.” He mused. He knew his friend was trying to sleep but already he could feel the itch to get outside and explore. The Tardis had brought them here for a reason and he wanted to know why. Donna would hate it if he left her behind….

He grinned and ran off to wake up his friend. They’d had a whole week off. She could sleep more in the morning!

“DONNNAA!” He shouted as he ran through the corridors of the Tardis. 

It was time for another adventure. 

**Author's Note:**

> Do you know how hard it was to keep this canon compliant? I don't know why I did it. BUT SO MUCH MUTUAL PINING. Dumbasses. 
> 
> Anyhoo! Hope you like it! :D Ill be back tomorrow with a new chapter from Ripples in Time for those who are reading it! <3


End file.
